Three Approvals
by 2pennies
Summary: GioBetty. Three part story where three different characters will show their approval of Gio in regards to Betty.
1. Amanda's Approval

**Title**: Three Approvals

**Author**: 2pennies

**Rating**: PG-13

**Fandom**: Ugly Betty

**Pairing**: Gio/Betty

**Disclaimer**: I am not affiliated with ABC, Ugly Betty, the characters and creators.

**Note**: This is a three part story where three different characters will show Gio their approval for him in regards to Betty.

* * *

With the sound of the ding and the swish of the opening doors, Gio stepped out of the elevator on the Mode floor along with a few model-like women who were eyeing him with mild disdain and obvious hunger as he lightly showed off the largely wrapped sandwich he had been carrying. He was sure that none of them consumed half as much in a week in comparison to the size of the sandwich.

_Mode girls_, he mused.

Turning the corner, he was greeted with the sight of Amanda behind her usual spot in the round reception area filing her already manicured nails wearing an expression of complete boredom and loathing.

"What?" she asked him accusatorily without even glancing up. Gio rolled his eyes lightly.

"Could you leave this on Betty's desk?" he asked pointing at the sandwich. At this, Amanda glanced up thoroughly annoyed. Ever since Gio began to bring Betty her sandwiches when she didn't have time to come to his deli, this was the nature of their usual afternoon banter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Princess to take away your precious, precious time. You're obviously very busy filing. Of some sort," Gio remarked sarcastically, eyeing her nail file. Amanda roughly set down her file on the table, raising her eyebrow at Gio with a glare. She hated the nickname he had branded her with.

"For your information, Mr. Fatty Sandwich, Betty is currently occupado in the ladies room. Been crying her eyes out all morning," Amanda sneered, rising up a little higher in her seat with a stiff expression.

"Crying?" Gio asked immediately. Seeing the obvious concern on his face, Amanda only became more disgruntled. She sighed dramatically.

"Her ex-nerd lover, Harry something or another, called from Tucson," she stated simply, pursing her lips. Gio's expression became that of understanding and sympathy, and Amanda noticed his shoulders slump downward a little. She wasn't sure why, but she felt something in her tug in his direction, and she loosened her posture a bit. She leaned forward motioning that he should do the same.

_Even Betty gossip is some form of gossip, and all gossip is good enough for me_, Amanda justified to herself.

"From what I could hear through the bathroom stalls – yes, I was eavesdropping, do you want to hear this or not?" Amanda questioned when she saw Gio's expression change from something wistful to slightly judgmental. Gio's curiosity got the better of him, and he gave the slightest of nods.

"Well, in between sobs and catastrophic nose blowing, from what I could make out, Harry whatever's decided to try and work things out with the baby's mom. Something about the right timing and the baby bringing them closer blah blah blah," she continued motioning her hand back and forth. His eyes cast downward as his hands fidgeted with the sandwich. Amanda was clearly displeased as she had hoped he would have shown a little gratitude for the information she had bestowed on him (_I haven't even told Marc yet_, she thought). Leaning back in her seat more comfortably, she picked up her nail file again.

"I don't see why she's still crying over that loser anyways. He's been gone for, like, a year," she said as she brought her attention back to her nails.

"It's only been three months and four days," he replied instantaneously. Her eyes shot back up to see him silently cursing at himself for his outburst. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Clearly frustrated, Gio set the sandwich in front of Amanda a little harder than he had meant to.

"Could you give this to Betty when you get a chance to? Maybe even bring it into the bathroom if you have to?" he asked slightly above a whisper with the most sincerity she had heard from him. Eyeing him carefully, she set her nail file down again.

_God, I'm getting soft_, she thought by what she was about to do.

"You know…," she began carefully. "After Nerd Face left, Betty cried, like, almost every second." He knew she was exaggerating but something in the small softness of her tone made him look up. She took that as a sign to continue.

"Then, you started showing up with these calorie filled fat traps more and more. Hell, I even remember your name," she said as her eyes flittered upward. "It _is_ Gio, right?" He smirked as she brought her eyes back to his.

"Anyways, all I'm saying is, well, whenever you showed up, she didn't cry so much," she said simply. She saw a flash of confusion and hope in his eyes.

_I'm way too overqualified to be sitting across from Sandwich Boy_, she thought to herself.

Gio stood there furrowing his eyebrows, attempting to decipher what that was supposed to mean.

_She doesn't mean_…he questioned.

Amanda sighed even more dramatically than before.

"So, maybe you should go down that hall, make a right, and then a left where it says 'women' on a nice pretty sign, and hand this to her yourself," she said slowly and obnoxiously, spelling it out for him while pointing at the sandwich that was still on the counter.

Gio contemplated this under Amanda's harsh gaze. He slowly took the sandwich back and looked in the direction of the hall. Suddenly, he whipped his head back to Amanda.

"Wait, I am not going into the ladies room," he stated. Amanda rolled her eyes and flipped her curled blonde hair over her shoulder bringing the nail file back to her fingertips.

"Please, nobody is going to notice you. Some weird kid named Kenny from accounting is the only person banned from that bathroom anyways," she replied without looking at him. Somehow, he took that as a bit of reassurance and headed towards the hall.

"Uh, thanks Princess," he said awkwardly but with a thankful expression as he took a few steps.

"Yeah, whatever," she replied as she took a long swipe across her nail as he turned back around. When she knew he was pretty far down the hall, she looked up to see him turning the corner.

"What are we staring at so longingly?" whispered Marc from behind Amanda's ear. Barely startled, Amanda turned towards Marc with an arched eyebrow but remained silent as she gave him a smirk.

"You know something in that pretty blonde head of your's! Now, tell me what it is. Is it good, is it juicy, is it absolutely delicious?" Marc asked eyes widening as he leaned in.

"Sandwiches," she replied with a smirk, eyes shimmering. Marc straightened himself.

"Ew, what?" he asked as his face contorted. Amanda leaned in again ever so slightly.

"Fatty Sandwich from the deli dropped by again to give Betty her lunch, but she's in full melt down mode after getting a call from Baby Daddy of the Year in Tucson," she whispered deliciously leaning back in her chair.

"So, I sent him to the ladies room to get her out of her funk," she concluded, clearly pleased. Marc's face furrowed in confusion.

"Wait, why would you try to hook up the sandwich guy and Betty?" Marc asked. Amanda's shoulders gave a small shrug as his eyes tightened.

"Hey…are you getting soft on me?" Marc asked incredulously. She whipped her hair in his face and gave him a look of disgust.

"Please! I'm telling you all of this so that you can go eavesdrop on them and get something dishy that we can use for the future," she said mischievously. Hit with a realization, Marc smiled and clapped lightly with excitement. As he began to walk down the same direction Gio had, Amanda called out to him suddenly.

"Oh and…" she began hesitantly. Marc spun around.

"What?" he asked curiously. He saw her fidget with the nail file that was still in her hand.

"Well, just don't ruin their fun," she attempted. He tilted his head in slight disbelief. She let out a small breath.

"He doesn't make her cry, Marc," Amanda replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Marc saw the honesty beneath her reply and nodded in her direction showcasing a bright smile. He turned back around and headed down the hallway.

Returning to a state of semi boredom and only a dash of loathing, Amanda could smell the faint scent of bread. Gagging at the thought of carbs, she shook out of it quickly.

_I'd more likely eat a sandwich than get an accountant though_, she mused secretly as she ran the file through her nail.

* * *


	2. Alexis' Approval

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Gio huffed as he helped Alexis into a seat.

His small deli had quieted after the mad lunch rush, and he had taken the time to clean up a bit, welcoming the small break. That was, until a few moments ago, when the leggy blonde frantically rushed through, surprisingly grabbed him by the collar, and pleadingly screeched something into his ear that he couldn't make out. Confused and stunned by her current hysterical state, he guided her to a small table and chair nearby. Looking down at her, his mind began racing with possible reasons why she would be here.

_It couldn't be about Betty, could it…_

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, feeling a bout of anxiety. She looked up at him desperately.

"Food!" she exclaimed. Gio took a curious step backwards.

"What?" he asked again.

"I need food. Now!" she managed without screaming. Still unsure of what was going on, he did as she said and quickly made Alexis a sandwich. Before he even had a chance to hand it to her on the plate, her hand snapped at it and brought it to her mouth for a large bite. Upon chewing her first monstrous bite, Gio saw her tense figure loosen up as she groaned her way into the deliciousness. Walking from behind his counter once again, he handed her a bottle of water.

"Brunkchu," she managed, her mouth completely full, as she took the water. Gio couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Right…" he replied. Swallowing her first mouthful and taking a large drink to follow, she let out a large breath with relief.

"Thank you," she attempted again. Not bothering to regain any lost feminine composure, she took another bite, not as large as the first, when she noticed Gio was still eyeing her inquisitively.

"I've been on some crazy celery-sticks-frozen-in-ice-cubes diet for weeks to fit into this amazing Armani gown for the Armani show," she managed to explain from the corner of her mouth in between chews. Alexis pointed to a bag of chips from behind Gio's head, and he handed them to her. Opening the bag and stuffing a few in her already filled mouth, she groaned again before continuing.

"Show was cancelled, and I'm free!" she exclaimed as if in heaven.

_Mode girls_, Gio thought as he rolled his eyes. He gave Alexis a small smile and went back to clearing off a few things.

"God, these are delicious!" Alexis stated as she took another bite. "Betty has been ordering your sandwiches for everyone, every time I turn around – for Daniel, for lunch meetings. She even got one for _my_ assistant once after she kept raving on and on about it. I've been craving them ever since I started the stupid diet," she continued. Gio grinned proudly but modestly.

"Well, I'm glad my sandwich was your food of choice in breaking your celery flavored icicle diet," he said. Alexis nodded in complete agreement as she motioned for him to make her another one.

"We should work out some sort of luncheon catering service with you," she said with food in her mouth. Gio looked up excitedly.

"That'd be amazing," he said while making the second sandwich. He walked around the counter and placed it in front of her. She thanked him by nodding profusely.

"Anyone who makes sandwiches this delicious is completely okay in my book," she said before she took another bite.

"What can I say? It's a gift," he replied, feeling a bit high from all of the praise. Grabbing a water bottle for himself, the two fell into a calm silence as Alexis finished off the last of her first sandwich. Gio wasn't sure what else to say or if she really wanted to have a conversation with him since this was the most the two had ever spoken to each other, so he kept still. However, as she moved to her second meal, she spoke again.

"So, when are you going to ask Betty out?" she asked nonchalantly before taking a bite. Gio let out a small choke from the sip of water he had just drunk and spun his head toward Alexis. She looked up at him as if she had just asked him something as simple as what color the sky was.

"What?" he asked, facing slight embarrassment and complete confusion.

"You and Betty. When are you going to ask her out?" she replied again calmly, amidst chewing.

Still in shock by her question, he felt déjà vu by this situation.

_I don't think I'm the Suarez sister you like…_

He had the same expression on his face when Hilda had been the first one to mention what he hadn't realized. Shaking himself from the memory, he looked back at Alexis who was waiting for an answer. Sighing in defeat, he gave in.

"It's not that obvious, is it?" he asked honestly. Gio had tried to remain purely friendly whenever he was around Betty ever since he had realized his more than friendly feelings for her. Alexis gave him a small nod with an expression that told him how obvious he must have been. She saw his face contort into a worried expression.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think Betty knows," Alexis offered, placing a few more chips in her mouth. Slightly tilting his head at the good news, he gave a small shrug, unsure of what to say. Chewing slowly, Alexis saw the slightly pained look in Gio's eyes and felt a softness stir in her. Coughing slightly, she set herself up for what she was about to say.

"I only know because I've seen the looks you give her when she's not looking," Alexis explained. Turning his head towards her's, he moved closer, taking a seat opposite of her's. "You look at her like she's the only person in the entire world who understands you and where you're coming from, like she's the only person you'd ever want to make proud, like her opinion, even when she doesn't agree with you, is the most important one you could ever hear," she continued. Gio sat blindly dumbstruck. Feeling slightly proud of her abilities, Alexis took a victory bite of her sandwich and with a swig of her water. Coming out of his disbelief, he spoke suddenly.

"Yeah, but…she also drives me crazy, you know. She pushes these…buttons," Gio tried to explain with his hands flying around. Alexis gave him a smirk. "It's like, she actually wants to find a reason to disagree with the things I say sometimes, to see me go ballistic and…and…start quacking like a duck!" he burst into explanation. Raising her eyebrow, Alexis' smirk only deepened before she cut him off.

"And you know that's one of the reasons you care about her so much. A little fuel to your fire? I understand. I mean, I used to be a guy," she explained clearly. He sat, letting her words sink in.

_How is it that everyone seems to know me better than I know myself_, he wondered.

Alexis finished off her sandwich, completely satisfied. She took a long look at Gio, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts, across the table.

_He'd be good for her_, she thought wistfully. _And good __**to**__ her…_

"Listen," she said abruptly. Refocusing on her, he gave a small smile. "I know you think she's still hung up about the Henry thing and that she just needs some time, but she's moved on from that. Finally," she added. When Gio gave her a quizzical expression, she answered, "Trust me. Women's intuition." He shook his head. "If she really is someone you feel is worth…everything," she emphasized, "Then, it doesn't matter what the timing is. Stop waiting for it to happen, and just do it."

Her words hit him like a sledgehammer.

_I can't believe someone else is giving __**me **__my talk about going for it._

Alexis could see that she had gotten through to him. Cleaning up some of her mess and straightening herself out a bit, she reached for her clutch.

"How much for my monster lunch?" she asked casually, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh," he said slowly. Getting out of his seat and moving to throw away her garbage, he replied, "Don't worry about it." Alexis looked ready to insist, when he continued, "Think of it as payment for the…pep talk." Her face stretched into a thankful smile. She stood from her seat and straightened out her skirt. She reached into her clutch and pulled out her compact.

"I hope you're ready to fight for her," she said suddenly, opening her compact to check her makeup.

"Excuse me?" Gio asked as his head whipped towards hers. She lightly powdered her nose.

"You're not the only one who gives her those looks," Alexis offered simply, as she snapped her compact shut. He eyed her with confusion and curiosity as a hint of jealousy flashed through him. Looking up at him, she couldn't help but give an honest smile.

"Thanks for lunch. I'll have my assistant contact you about the catering plans?" she said with a business-like tone.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he replied nodding. With a quick smile, Alexis turned her stiletto heels back to works. She glanced over her shoulder to see Gio digesting her last few words. Turning back towards the waiting elevator doors, she smiled.

_I like him_, she decided.

_Plus, he's not nearly half as dense and clueless as Daniel is._

She smirked.

_Lucky for him_, she thought.


	3. Justin's Approval

Note: The last installment. Thank you to all of the people who have been reading this. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The faint smell of some type of perm concoction and the buzzing of hair dryers filled the small room. Gossiping and giggling with her usual gaggle of clients on a Saturday afternoon, Gio smiled to himself as he looked on. His mom was currently being worked on by Hilda as she was fervently retelling a story she had overheard about the scandalous deeds of their local butcher. He couldn't help but roll his eyes slightly as he returned his attention to the magazine he had been skimming through in the Suarez living room. 

Usually while his mom got her hair done with Hilda, he would get the opportunity to spend some time with Betty – talking about work, sharing stories about Antonella or Justin, usually just laughing and arguing over trivial nonsense. Gio had become very cunning at coaxing his mom to make her appointments on days that he knew Betty would be around, even though he would never admit it. However, everyone knew anyways why he was always eagerly willing to drive to the Suarez house for his mom's hair appointments (which he had used to think were completely unnecessary). Luckily for him, everyone played along, though playfully teasing him when he wasn't listening.

When the two arrived at the house this afternoon though, Hilda was the bearer of bad news when she told him upon opening the door that Betty had just left the house because of another Mode-related emergency.

"Something about missing a set of photo prints? Actually, maybe it was something about wardrobe with animal prints…" she said.

"What? I'm…I'm not here to see Betty. I'm just chauffeuring my mom to her hairdresser of choice," he justified.

"Right…" Hilda dragged out with a raised eyebrow as she escorted his mom to her work station before he could attempt another feeble excuse.

Giving up on the magazine that he had tried to immerse himself into in order to mask his disappointment at missing a meeting with Betty, he heard the sound of the front door opening. Justin and Ignacio appeared, arms full of paper bags full of groceries. Justin waved a few fingers from under his bags and gave a smile before jetting to the kitchen.

"Hey Gio!" called Ignacio who was slowly following Justin. "Your mom here for Hilda?" Gio nodded as he made his way to the door and closed it.

"Too bad Betty's not here," he called from the kitchen, raising his voice a bit.

"I know, I already told him all the details!" Hilda's voice replied, even louder, in response. Gio shook his head, humored by the situation of Betty's family yelling at him. Or maybe just each other.

Deciding he needed a bit more quiet than the house was allowing for, he silently opened the door and headed outside. Sitting on the front steps of the house, he mused at how it felt like everyone had somehow ambushed him into situations like these. Gio knew people were hovering and anxiously waiting for him to do something more drastic about his feelings for Betty. That wasn't so much of the problem; he could ignore them for the most part. His hesitation resulted more from her actions toward him. When they were together, nothing in her demeanor ever gave him the feeling that her feelings for him had changed beyond that of the playful bantering friendship they had formed. Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked up at the city before hearing the clicking of the door behind him.

"Hey, can I join you?" Justin said as he took a seat next to him anyways. Gio gave a curious look. "My mom was bragging about how I got the lead in my school's production of Chess and wanted me to sing the entire first act to everyone. I slipped out here right after I attempted a solo version of 'Quartet'." Gio laughed. "I mean, I love Tim Rice as much as the next fanatic, but I have boundaries." He smiled at Gio who was still laughing.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Justin asked.

"Ah, the same reason as you I guess," he replied. "Minus the whole singing thing."

"It's too bad Aunt Betty got called to Mode. I know she was looking forward to seeing you," he offered.

"Oh yeah?" Gio asked with a half smile.

"It's like Mode would burn into the hands of Hades without her or something. Daniel was practically screaming in hysterics over the phone about how they lost the prints for the Orlando Bloom photo shoot which caused Aunt Betty to go into even more dramatic hysterics since it's her first big interview and cover story," he explained. Gio only offered a small nod.

Gio remembered when she had excitedly told him about how Daniel wanted her to do the cover story.

"_It's freaking Legolas we're talking about! What am I going to ask him? What should I wear? God, what am I talking about! This needs to be the most perfect interview that an interview of this magnitude has ever gone. It's such a big opportunity. A cover story! I can't believe Daniel thinks I'm capable of doing this! And with Orlando Bloom!" she exclaimed in his deli after she had been given the news. The smile on her face was filled with so much excitement, he couldn't help but laugh a little bit at her giddiness. _

_Somewhere in the middle of his laughing though, he felt an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that later he would realize was jealousy. Whether it was the fact that Daniel had been the one to make her so ecstatically happy or the fact that some big shot celebrity would get to spend time with her that could have been with Gio instead, he wasn't sure._

"You know, jealousy doesn't exactly go with your outfit," Justin said suddenly motioning his hand at Gio's attire. He shook out of his daze and stared at him. "Actually, neither do your shoes," he continued looking down.

"Jealous? Of…of what?" Gio said playfully laughing.

"Oh, I don't know. The fact that Aunt Betty spends so much time with her outrageously handsome and eligible boss of a multi-billion dollar publishing empire?" Justin replied as if it were the most obvious answer. Gio raised an eyebrow which the teen matched with a roll of his eyes and a wave of his hand.

"They are _so_ just friends," Justin stated. For whatever reason, the fact that he said it out loud relaxed Gio a small bit.

"Well, for now anyways…" Justin continued in a sing-song voice. Gio's relaxation was just as quickly gone.

"For now?" he asked curiously.

"Daniel's bound to see what you see sooner or later."

Gio sat with Justin's words lingering in the air.

_Maybe that's why she doesn't feel the way I feel. Maybe she has feelings for Daniel…_

"Oh please. She likes you. I totally know it," Justin said suddenly. Gio whipped his head completely startled.

"How did…" he began to ask.

"I can tell what expression you're wearing on your face almost as well as I can tell you what you _should_ be wearing on your body," he said simply. "It's a gift."

Coming out of his sudden shock, Gio felt a small burst of happiness as he realized what Justin had said. Nobody has ever actually told him what they thought Betty had felt. Although it felt like he was back in junior high, he couldn't help but ask.

"Wait, how do you know she likes me?" he asked. Justin looked at him strangely.

"Um, is it not completely obvious?" he asked tilting his head to look at Gio. Justin had thought Gio was a smart guy – quick wit, good head on his shoulders. However, by the blank expression he was now wearing on his face, Justin was contemplating retracting his characterization of Gio. He hadn't realized that the guy sitting next to him was so easily blinded by love.

_Obviously, I have to settle this. Adults…_

"It's like…remember when you started to get really busy this past August?" Justin asked. Gio nodded. For some unexplainable reason, his deli had gotten so many customers and catering offers that month, he had to hire extra help to handle all of the demand. He had thought it was odd but didn't question the business boom.

"Well, Aunt Betty…sort of let it slip out once at a party…or two this past summer that Sarah Jessica Parker may or may not have been a regular at your deli," he explained.

"What?! I've never even seen Sarah Jessica Parker on TV, let alone in real life!" Gio said bewildered.

"_Exactly_," Justin emphasized with a smirk.

Slightly amazed and highly amused by the answer, a tiny smile formed on Gio's lips. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he shook his head.

"Yeah, but that was…work related. She's just helping out my business," he tried to reason. Slightly frustrated, Justin snapped his fingers at Gio.

"Who was the first person she literally ran to tell about her first big interview and cover story?" he demanded. Gio stared at him with widened eyes. "I can tell you who it _wasn't_ – me! How could she not tell me that she was going to interview Orlando Bloom? I mean, he's freaking Legolas!" Gio's smile grew a bit more finding out another small secret.

"Yeah, so I've heard…" Gio replied. Regaining his composure, Justin relaxed again.

"I know you think you come over here with your mom when Betty's around," Justin began. "But the truth is, Betty clears out her schedule when she sees your mom coming in for an appointment." The teen gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders – if that wasn't enough to help Gio understand, he wasn't sure what would be.

Gio couldn't explain the electricity running through his entire body and felt the need to stand up and run around in circles but stayed seated as to not give Justin the pleasure of seeing him in a state of irrationality.

"I know she's not showing the 'I'm-interested-in-you' vibes that you are looking for, but if you would look farther than the end of a hoagie, you can totally tell she's giving you different vibes," Justin said.

"What vibes?"

Justin sighed dreamily.

"The Tom Cruise circa 'Jerry McGuire' vibes," he said. "You know, the 'You-complete-me' vibes."

Gio wasn't sure exactly what Justin had referenced to, but the doubt that he had been struggling with for some time now slowly began to fade away. He couldn't help but show off a wide smile.

"So…are you okay with me dating your aunt then?" Gio couldn't help but ask.

"Of course! Well…actually, on one condition," Justin said.

"Name it," Gio said. He felt like he would give Justin whatever he might ask for at this moment.

"We're going to have to do something about this black leather jacket wardrobe thing you've got going on," Justin said frowning at his attire for the second time since he sat down.

"What?! I thought I looked good in this…" Gio said amidst laughing.

"Here you two are!" Hilda exclaimed as she burst through the front door. "Justin, come inside and sing some more of that Chess. The girls all love it!"

Justin gave Gio a pleading look, but reluctantly started to head inside.

"Alright, but if Mrs. Henderson asks me to sing 'Anthem' one more time, I am _so_ going up to my room," he threatened. Hilda smiled highly amused.

"Oh, Gio. Betty just called. She tried calling you, but she said you weren't picking up your cell phone?" she asked carefully. He padded down his pant pockets and remembered.

"Ah, I left it on your coffee table," he said disappointed at missing her call. Hilda nodded her head in understanding.

"Yeah, she called the house, knew you were over here. Anyways, she asked me to ask you that if you're interested in having dinner tonight to give her a call," Hilda said swirling the words, emphasizing all of the important bits.

Gio could see the look of amusement all over Hilda's expression, but he was positive that he was wearing an even more excited grin on his face. The entire Suarez family was surely going to cause him to combust today.

"I already asked your mom if she wanted to have dinner with us, so you can just pick her up after your own...dinner," she said with a wink.

Quickly standing up, Gio and Hilda made their way inside. Gio picked up phone from the table, told his mom he was going to go out and have a bite to eat, and said goodbye to Ignacio and Hilda (who couldn't stop grinning or winking). Before he got out of the door, Justin's voice called out to his from the top of the stairs.

"Remember! Jerry McGuire vibes!!" he said beaming.

"Thanks Justin. It meant a lot to me," Gio said with a thankful smile. "Oh, and I'll…look into a new jacket." He waved and walked outside already hitting Betty's speed dial number.

Hearing the ring tone, he realized that tonight was when everything would change. He smiled.

* * *

Twenty minutes earlier, Betty had been running like a lunatic throughout the hallways of Mode. She had been having such a disastrous time looking for the prints of the photo shoot that she hadn't realized her phone had been ringing non-stop. Feeling utter defeat and confusion as to where the missing prints had gone, she picked up the receiver. 

"Betty Suarez," she moaned, secretly hoping it was God calling to tell her where hundreds of photos with Orlando Bloom's face had vanished.

"Betty? This is Antonella," she heard on the other end.

Straightening up slightly, Betty asked, "Antonella? Hey, why are you calling me at my office? Actually, how did you even get this number? Wait, how did you know I was even here?"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Chill. I called your house because I thought you would be there since my brother is, but your dad said you were at work," she replied. Before Betty had time to retort a comment about her connection with Gio, Antonella continued. "And I tried calling your cell phone but you haven't been answering."

Betty looked for her cell phone only to remember it was in her purse.

_Which has also gone missing now! Fantastic…_she thought.

"Yeah, it's sort of just hectic right now. I'm sort of panicking about some work stuff," Betty offered as she glanced around her desk space, even peering into Daniel's office.

"This won't take long. It's about my brother," Antonella stated. Betty stopped looking for her bag.

"Okay, go ahead," she said curiously.

"So, I don't exactly get what the problem is with him when it comes to you, but he's become sort of a wuss. Actually, a huge wuss. The kind that you make fun of because it's funny to see him get all mad and stuff," she said. Betty was now utterly confused on top of being completely distraught.

"What?" she asked. She heard Antonella sigh and mutter something about adults.

"Since my brother is too big of a weenie to just ask you out, I think you should just ask him out."

Betty stood shocked in front of the large round window that looked in on Daniel's office.

"And I'm not talking about just…a movie or going to a bar or whatever it is you guys do. But I mean actually dating – you know, a relationship," she said emphasizing every syllable of the last word clearly.

Placing her hand on her forehead, she shook it in dismay, "But your brother doesn't…"

"Yes, he totally does. I'm his sister. I know him better than anyone. And trust me, my brother has got it bad for you. Even if you are a Mode girl," she said. Betty now felt as lost as her missing photos.

"He's a nice guy, Betty. If you think you might like him even a little bit, you should totally just ask him out to dinner or something," Antonella said. Taking Betty's silence as that of shock, Antonella went on. "Anyways, I got to go. I just wanted to…you know…tell you since it looks like my brother's feelings for you aren't the kind that just go away. I'll talk to you later, Betty. Bye!"

Betty stood still, mind swimming with the surprising phone call, Antonella's words, and flashes of memories with Gio over the past few months. A smile crept to her lips as an unexplainable fluttering filled her stomach. Glancing down at her hands, she realized they were slightly trembling, but luckily, she saw her purse from the corner of her eye underneath a pile of folders. Quickly reaching for her bag, she fished out her cell phone and speed dialed Gio's number only to be lead to his voicemail. Immediately calling her house line instead, she was thankful when she heard Hilda's voice pick up.

"Hilda?! Is Gio there?" Betty asked, the words rushing out of her lips before she had time to think.

"Yeah, yeah. What's up, Betty?" Hilda asked concerned. Betty gave a small sigh.

"Listen, can you…give him a message?"

* * *


End file.
